Thursday, January 30, 2014

My ‪#‎FavouriteThing‬ today was dinner with Kids #1&2. (Kid #3 was at dance.) I had planned poorly (read: I hadn’t planned at all), and had nothing to make for dinner. It was late, we were hungry, and I just didn’t have it in me to cook. We very, very rarely eat out…and technically this was no exception…but we did get Chinese takeout from Safeway (there’s a Chinese takeout bar beside the deli in our Safeway…dunno if they all have those?) Truth be told, it’s better food than the local Chinese restaurants, less greasy, and no MSG. Sadly, it is not inexpensive. But it was a treat. They even had a rice noodle dish, SO I COULD HAVE NOODLES!!!! But mostly, I love hanging out with my kids.

I also loved a snuggle with Kid #1 before bed, as she struggled with the potential overwhelm of an upcoming decision. I love my snuggles. And I love that my kids are comfortable, open with me, able to come to me with their problems. Because that’s the treasure of parenting. You’re there for all the good stuff. You’re there for all the not-so-good stuff. You’re there for all the sometimes tiresome day in, day out stuff. You’re there for their wins and their losses. You’re there when you have other stuff to do and other places you might rather be. And you have to be there, all in, fully present and fully engaged, through all the stuff that isn’t so interesting or engaging, if you want to establish the trust required for them to seek you out or even be willing to share with you when things get hard or sad. So my heart breaks when they struggle; I want to enfold them and make the world a safe and happy place for them. I also know that I’ve been doing my job right when they are willing to talk to me, and in fact seek me out, when they’ve got things on their minds.